Sex offender went on to groom a 14-year-old girl after being released early from a previous sentence

A sex beast who was released from prison early only to go on and groom another teenage girl online has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Ashley Allan’s new crimes were virtually identical to the ones he had been sent to jail for in the first place.

He was locked up in April 2016 for “badgering” girls aged between 13 and 15 to send him indecent images of themselves via social media applications.

That sentence saw him jailed for two years and seven months but Allan – described as a “dangerous, predatory individual” when sentened for that crime – was released at the half way point of that term in the summer of 2017.

Allan, 27, a prisoner at HMP Perth, pleaded guilty on indictment to one charge under the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act and a second of possessing indecent images of children. The offences took place between April 24 and May 1 last year at Allan’s home in Montrose, Angus.

Defence solicitor Grant Bruce said: “He is speaking to social workers about his offences and how to change his behaviour in the future.”

Sheriff Alastair Brown interjected: “He could try not doing it. He groomed her and placed pressure on her – that’s not something you do by accident or just stumble in to.”

Mr Bruce added: “He completely understands that due to these offences a custodial sentence is inevitable.”

Sheriff Alastair Brown returned Allan to prison to serve the final six months of his original sentence and imposed a three-year prison term to be served consecutively to that.

He also placed Allan on the sex offenders register for life.

The sheriff said: “You extorted photos from her.

“The nature of the damage which you did to her is unpredictable but what is predictable is that this girl will have sustained psychological damage, probably relating to the making of relationships in the future and is likely to have long term consequences from that.

“You seem to have made it known that you had these images because people were asking for them.

“So far all these reasons I take the view that this charge is very serious.”